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Fillmore man admits guilt in plea agreement for meth lab, sawed-off shotguns incident
A 50-year-old Fillmore man, facing four felony counts for allegedly manufacturing methamphetamine in his Main Street home, was sentenced to eight years in prison Wednesday as part of a plea bargain agreement.
David W. Benassi pleaded guilty to the lesser-included offense of possession of methamphetamine, a Class C felony, and possession of a sawed-off shotgun, a Class D felony.
He had been charged with dealing methamphetamine, a Class A felony; possessing meth, a Class B felony; possession of chemical reagents, a Class D felony, and possession of a saw-off shotgun.
Putnam Superior Court Judge Denny Bridges ordered the eight-year sentence with four years actually to be executed in the Indiana Department of Correction, followed by two years on home detention and two years on probation.
"This is your second 'last bite of the apple,' as they say," Judge Bridges told Benassi. "No more meth, fair enough?"
Benassi smiled, shook his head affirmatively and even thanked the judge.
Moments earlier, defense attorney Dennis Thomas had suggested home detention as a possibility for the defendant, noting the way Benassi was portrayed in "rumor and innuendo floating around Fillmore was disheartening."
"I don't find him to be that kind of individual," Thomas said, pointing out that the defendant had never previously been charged with a felony nor was there any evidence Benassi was dealing meth.
Thomas asked the court "to give this man a chance."
Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter wasn't sold on a sentence that light.
"He was making meth, he possessed a sawed-off shotgun, and he was doing it right in Fillmore," Bookwalter reasoned.
Benassi also tested positive for meth use while on probation for a previous indiscretion, Bookwalter added.
The request for home detention, Judge Bridges agreed, was "a little out of whack."
After all, the judge pointed out, the offense did occur within 1,000- feet of a school (although that charge, the Class A felony, was dismissed).
Benassi was arrested last April 26 after a routine home visit by the Putnam County Probation Office and Indiana State Police troopers led to the discovery of items related to the manufacturing of methamphetamine. During the visit, two saw-off shotguns were also found inside the home.
Outside the residence, officers found an active "one-pot" meth lab, allegedly hidden near a neighbor's house by Benassi.
Also, a surveillance camera aimed at the front door of the Benassi residence had the capability of monitoring the Fillmore Town Hall (where the office of the town marshal is located). The camera was in operation when authorities arrived.
Numerous complaints and tips from Fillmore residents about possible meth-related activity at the Benassi residence were vital to the arrest, ISP officials said at the time the defendant was taken into custody.